Our first (and hopefully last) tsunami warning...

At the farm today we were given some unexpected news. While taking a rest around 11:45 a man we work with told us he just heard there was a tsunami warning issued on the radio for Fiji. Alex and I looked at each other in shock, considering we were about 500 feet away from the ocean. He told us the tsunami was expected to hit around 12:00. No one at the farm seemed concerned. They told us to run up the hill if we heard or saw the water coming. For some reason I didn't think it worked this way. I asked the man who relayed the news where his wife was and he told me she already went up the hill. That's when Alex and I decided to seek refuge in our village, which is quite a ways above sea level.

After running to the village we were greeted by a bus load full of kids who were evacuated from the school. We also noticed everyone was taking their horses to higher ground. At this point we realized it was more serious than we thought. Everyone was out of their houses and looking at the ocean so we decided to do the same. After waiting for about an hour we went inside and listened to the radio. It informed us that the earthquake did not generate a tsunami and the alert was canceled. The funniest part was is that no one seemed phased afterward. They all got right back to napping, chopping things with machetes or grinding coconuts.

In other news, I've been having some stomach issues. I won't thrill you with the details but its been going on for a couple weeks now. On Monday Alex and I visited the town doctor. His waiting room and office combined were the size of an average bedroom. After discussing my "issues" while sitting in plastic lawn chairs he ordered his assistant to give me four charcoal tablets. She proceeded to grind them up in a coffee cup and add a minimal amount of water. Before I knew it I was downing some sort of charcoal concoction. After that he told me to lay on the table. He poked my stomach a little bit, then gave me a couple different medications, both of which were made in Pakistan. I thought it wasn't a smart idea to ask questions when voodoo was involved so I left and did as the doctor ordered. The medications seem to be working so I can't complain.